 |
|
|
|
|
...My Life as 'Drive away' driver
|
210506 IA-CA 2 RV's to CA. 1 to Manteca, 1 to Gilroy ... spending the night in home We hadn't been sure when we would be ready to go. I was working on 'other things,' and wanted to get a day of gardening in before we left. I ended up finishing on Wednesday so we decided we would leave out on Friday instead of waiting for Saturday or Monday. Wednesday morning there were still quite a few CA runs left but by evening they were mostly gone. That is why we ended up with RV's going to two different towns. Once we looked at it closer we realized this was ideal. One way rental cars are still a problem. With these two, we will drop the first one in Manteca, drive right through Livermore and pick up a local rental, then continue on to Gilroy. And it is only 90 miles between Manteca and Gilroy. BB slept in this AM so it was after 8 AM when we talked again about taking the run. It was still there when we called. We have done this run enough times so there is not a whole lot of planning, we know the stops. And so far we have a rental car. Local should not be an issue. Didn't end up doing much gardening, lots of frost on the roofs in the area and the low temps are going to stick around for a few more days. One plan for today was to get a haircut. The barber shop I have been going to for the last 25 years has been closed, the barber was in the hospital, then on oxygen and now could be back to work in 'a couple of weeks. So this AM I started making phone calls. No place I called would pick up, I wanted to know if they did walk ins or if I needed an appointment. Finally one from WI called me back, no appointment needed. So I headed over but there were already three people ahead of me ... and no masks. After 20 minutes of waiting and the barber was still on the original person, I left. I have never waited for a haircut for an hour for any reason except a wedding or a funeral. And I wasn't going to do it today. So I still look like an old hippy. DOT has a three day 'blitz' where they focus on specific items nationwide. That ended today. I generally am not working during those days but I have. My 'other things' usually fall about the same time and that is not based on the inspections. We are spending the night at home and plan to leave out by 8 AM, get to Forest City by 11 AM. Done with inspection by noon and get to Lincoln for the night. Lincoln the 1st night, Laramie the 2nd night, Wendover the 3rd night, Rocklin CA the 4th night. That leaves 100 miles to the 1st drop on Wednesday. Load board US - 429 IA - 138 MN - 8 WI - 3 IA is a long way from half the loads right now. But IA should start putting out the 'quarter end' trips pretty soon. 210507 IA-CA 2 RV's to CA. 1 to Manteca, 1 to Gilroy ... spending the night in York NE No alarm this AM. Out of the house a little after 8 AM (not rushing it today) Before we left we made hotel reservations for the next two nights. We usually either make the reservation from our last stop of the day or from the hotel parking lot. But when BB looked, our usual hotel in Lincoln was already sold out and hotels in Omaha were expensive. 1st stop was at a rest area near Owattona. 2nd stop was the lot to pick up our RV's. Two other people picking up. The lot is down from 200+ to still over 100. And there are still RV's in the employee lot that they haven't moved to our lot. And lots and lots of partially done ones sitting by their buildings. Easily another 100 there. When I go to find my RV, a bird flies away and sits on the fence a few feet away ... I wonder if I am transporting something? Like a nest? I don't have a latter on this RV or I might have looked up there. Didn't think of climbing up on a nearby RV. Small RV's so it took us under an hour. Talked to one other driver, he was heading to OKC this week. Last week he went to CO and was in shorts one day and it was snowing the next. We both have enough fuel to get to Williams so we bypass or stop in Clear Lake this trip. Just before we get to Clear Lake a pickup pulling a trailer pulls out in front of me. A minute or two after, I see something the size and shape of a cell phone sliding across the road to the shoulder. I never caught up to them or I would have tried to get their attention. 3rd stop is for fuel and food in Williams at the Flying J. As we come down the exit ramp we see someone is working on their huge sign by the freeway. I found it interesting so as soon as I was stopped at the pump I walked to where I could take a picture. Then another picture after I had starting fueling. Then as I am watching ... opps. The part of the sign they are lifting off the top of the pole drops about 20 feet back onto the poll but not in the same way it came off. Parts go flying. There were people in the air on another lift and on the ground with ropes to guide it but it didn't look like anyone got hit. We were there another half hour eating and they hadn't made any more progress. We fuel 1st and then order Subway. Nice day to eat standing by our RV's. We see another transporter, he has just picked up a tow truck in New Hampton IA heading to CO. Talked to him a little and he has moved the 'roll off' trucks we used to move out of IN. And they are moving the trash trucks from QC to CA that we used to move. But because of Covid, they are now picking them up in NY. This driver is done with those trucks. Too much pain from getting bounced around. I took a picture of his placard so I could add it to my list of companies. Before we leave the station I call for our NV permits. We will need them 1st thing Monday AM. No stop in Ankeny. So we saved one stop by bypassing Clear Lake. Somewhere today we meet and IndyGo bus. Indianapolis. I have looked now and I-80 is shorter, if you exit the freeway at Lincoln and take non-freeway most of the rest of the way. 100's of miles. It is 80 miles more to take I-40 / I-44. But I thought I saw this bus in IA, if so, that route is 20 miles further than taking I-40. And in Iowa we passed a trash truck. No plate, no placards. I followed him for a ways and every time he went over a bridge he hit the breaks. And it wasn't even a cab over. He is in for a rude awakening with a cabover. 4th stop is the rest area near Adair. 5th stop is the QT / Quick Trip near Gretna. I see two open pumps and as I am pulling in, someone comes from the other direction. But he isn't lining up for the pump and the tank is on his other side. ??? Then he swings out so I can get to the pump but he cuts in so BB can't pull in behind me. He never does fuel. All the pumps are full and he pulled in to talk to someone who was fueling. When we went to leave it was a zoo. The traffic light was only letting a few cars through and it would change. We will likely find somewhere else to stop. This place had been cheaper at one time and it is a nice big store and big lot. Tonight was Friday night, we might give it another chance. A few miles before our hotel, I pass a truck that is going about 55 mph, we run at 65 mph. When BB catches up to him she tries to pass and he speeds up. I don't know that he has sped up but I see that she isn't passing him so I speed up to give her more room. Then he is right on my bumper so I slow down, by then BB has slowed to pull in behind him. Somehow during all this the truck throws a rock. Nice big chip in BB's window. :( Then in a few miles we follow him off at our exit. 6th and final stop is the Comfort Inn in York and the Taco Bell next door. At the Taco Bell the staff was all wearing masks, but we were the only customers with masks on. This location still does not allow in door seating. Not sure if that is this store or this state. As soon as had stopped our RV's I call the bus dispatcher ... 'it doesn't look good for next week, but call.' There had been a truck from CA to FL but that one is gone. We will see. We have time to spend a few days in CA but I wouldn't want to spend the weekend unless he is paying. Loadboard US - 399 IA - 133 MN - 9 WI - 14 500 more miles tomorrow. Hotel is already reserved. 210508 IA-CA 2 RV's to CA. 1 to Manteca, 1 to Gilroy ... spending the night in Laramie WY Breakfast. Full hot food, no masks by others, we ate in our room. Very uneventful day. 1st stop was Cozad NE at the rest area. I didn't have the mile marker written down and when I was half way past the prior one thought, opps because I hadn't been watching the distance signs. 2nd stop was in Ogallala for first fuel at Walmart. As usual it was packed when we got there and pretty empty when we left. Out of 12 pumps, three are not working at all and the ones that are working, you have to go inside to get a receipt. Wendy's next door is drive thru only, now they are working on the building. Taco John is across the street but we had Mexican last night. So we drive across the freeway to Arbey's. I get their chicken salad sandwich, it is back. Too much bread. I think next time I will just throw the top slice away ... or the bottom slice :) 3rd stop was the rest area near Sidney. My fuel mileage had started out at 11 mpg and it was up over 16 mpg at Ogallala. Now that we have lost the tail wind and started climbing more, I am back under 16 mpg. From Sidney to the Burns/Cheyenne POE we run at 60 mph. And I am still tacking out at over 4,000 a lot of the time. The cruise has kicked off quite a bit today. A few times as quick as I can re-set it but usually an hour or two between re-sets. But we don't have to shut off the RV to re-set, that is a huge plus. 4th stop is the WY POE. The mask signs are gone on the front door. The inside door has one sign, 'we recommend masks.' Every window had someone working it today. Often there are two or three working, today there were six (?) and only three drivers. 5th stop was the Exxon in Laramie for food and fuel. We should have looked online at fuel prices. This USED to be the cheapest gas. Today it is $.16 cheaper at the truck stops. We could have saved $5. Food was Papa John's. And again, I forgot to the garlic butter. It does not come in the box on the personal size. And then to the Comfort Inn in Laramie. It is 3:30 local. We could have made to to Rawlins ... if we hadn't had a reservation. ... actually we could not have. The road is closed. Due to the wind. Overhead signs in WY say that Sunday night through Tuesday there will be SNOW and poor visibility. Hoping it will be open when we are ready to leave tomorrow. After we eat, we go for a half hour walk. Loadboard US - 383 IA - 122 MN - 12 WI - 13 :) Right now ... There is a truck in Sacramento, just a few miles from where we often drop (about 2 hours from where I drop Tuesday.) That one is going to N Las Vegas. In Las Vegas there is a 2nd truck going to just north of Tulsa OK. Then in Tulsa there is a 3rd truck going up to Rock Island which is only four hours from our car. Or ... 100 miles from Rock Island, there is a tractor trailer heading back to Sacramento. My plan is for a bus to be the first choice. If he says no, we will watch the board. Depending on how strongly he says no, we may head right back to IA. If it is more of a maybe then we will stay through Friday but not over the weekend. But if we head back empty, IF anyone actually has a car, we would break even. Just checked, a one way rental for a week is $200 less than the cheapest four day one way rental. One of the drivers on FB is stranded in N Platte NE. The Enterprise in town will not let a car go one way. Not sure if the driver had a reservation or not. So for him it is the bus, there is one twice a day. We drive past this place often on I-80. The auction ended two days ago. http://netnebraska.org/article/news/1260678/iconic-classic-car-collection-central-nebraska-auction 210509 IA-CA 2 RV's to CA. 1 to Manteca, 1 to Gilroy ... spending the night in Wendover UT PAIN ... I have been driving farm tractor for 50 years and this year it did not agree with me. I spent a day in a different tractor plowing and I could tell at the time that the twist, the steering wheel, something, did not feel right. After that one day I was back in more 'normal' tractor. A week later I had one day that wore on me, luckily the field wasn't wet or I would have really gotten a workout. Now, a few days later I am still in pain in my shoulder. It should go away eventually? Breakfast. I ate the last piece of BB's pizza and a cup of yogurt. BB had a nuked muffin sandwich. Snow. Enough so it was on the cars and on the grass. 1st stop was a rest break at Rawlins at the Flying J. When we came out, BB saw something leaking from my engine :( ... I looked closer, yup. Then I stood up and saw the snow still by my wipers :) It was finally melting two hours later. 2nd stop was Rock Springs for food at Quiznos. At Rawlins we had done our math wrong and thought we would be too Rock Springs by 10:15 and Jimmy John's doesn't open until 10:30. So we had decided to stop at Loves instead, Hardee's is always open and we could get fuel if we need it. At some point I realized we were off on our math so I pulled off at the Quiznos exit. As we are inside looking at the menu, BB finally realizes why their menu doesn't look right. We are at Quiznos, not Jimmy Johns :) We have no idea when Quiznos opened, but it was open when we got there. BB decides to eat her sandwich inside, I eat mine outside by the RV. When we go past Loves we see that fuel is $.20 a gallon cheaper than it will be in Evanston, but we have already decided not to make the extra stop. Another $5+. Hope we are not wishing we had it if we head back home empty on Tuesday. 3rd stop is the Flying J in Evanston for fuel. Not sure what it is today, but this is the second time a trucker has blown their horn at me. The first time I have no idea why, I had been in the right lane for miles. And there were other cars and trucks running with us at 65 mph. Then after leaving Evanston I caught up to a pickup pulling a trailer that was driving about 60 mph. I followed until there was a long opening and started to pass. Once I was beside him, he sped up to 65 mph. There was someone else following him and by the time I realized I wasn't getting past him, other traffic had caught up. So I kicked it down and did get past him. All of this happened in 2-3 minutes. And some truck blows their horn at me ??? 4th stop is at the Flying J in Tooele for a break. There we see an RV and a semi tractor being moved by our company. We also saw an Emergency ? Bus being transported by another company when we were in Evanston. But that was it for the day, pretty quiet. 5th and final stop is at the Quality Inn in Wendover for the night. Food is from the food truck that parks in their lot. We are their only customers tonight. Usually there is a line. Good food. Later we go for a walk and see that there are four food trucks within one block of our hotel. We have just always eaten at the one in our parking lot. All of them are gone in the AM when we leave so we hadn't seen them. Did see a lot of pronghorn / deer today. One place there was a dozen plus laying on a hillside close to the road just watching the traffic go past. Also a lot of calves, some of them didn't look like more than a few hours old. But no pictures, not supposed to be using any 'electronic devices' while driving. 210510 IA-CA 2 RV's to CA. 1 to Manteca, 1 to Gilroy ... spending the night in Rocklin CA BB ate her leftovers from last night for breakfast. I walked down and got juice and two yogurt. Didn't think of squeezing them to see if they were sealed. One of them had 'hardened' yogurt around the top, so I only ate a couple of spoonfuls before deciding it was not worth it. We do our inspection at a quarter to so that we are rolling by 7 AM local when our permit says we are legal. 1st stop is Elko for a break at the Sinclear ... and a couple of gallons of fuel so we aren't coming in to Winnemucca on 'E.' From here we called out drops. BB had to make an appointment and took the 10 AM spot. I just had to call ahead, I did and had to leave a message. No one called back so I will get there when I get there. Shortly after we pulled back on the freeway the cops had a tow transporter pulled over. We had seen him before and would see him again. He was going faster than us, but I doubt over 80 mph. But he could have been speeding in the construction zone ... or the cop wanted to stop a transporter. No scales open for us today. 2nd stop is Winnemucca for final (?) fuel and food. The fuel at Maverick has gone up by 10 cents and other places have come down by 10 cents. We could have gotten fuel cheaper today at the Pilot. Yesterday it showed that Maverick was cheaper by 20 plus cents. Things change. Oh, I finally got my Maverick card working. I thought it was just for rewards points off food. I got two cents a gallon off. $.40 today. And my card is already out dated. They have new ones that are either good for the two cents or six cents if you want to tie it to your bank card. (Nope) We ate shelf food. I had pizza, good pizza. BB had a boxed salad. Interesting as we sat outside at a table and watched. About half way through our food the parking lot filled up and then emptied again in a few minutes. We're guessing that it was lunch time at the school. 3rd stop was at Fernley at the Flying J for a break. 4th stop was at the rest area near Gold Run. Here we had to decide if we were going to spend the night in Rocklin or go all the way to Manteca. We picked Rocklin, after we decided we found that the hotel price had gone down so it was just over half of what it would have been in Manteca. 5th and final stop was the Comfort Inn in Rocklin. Lots of room to park tonight. We still have to fill in a long questionnaire about Covid here. Maybe in all hotels in CA? I don't remember. By staying here we can, and did, walk to the Kathrin's Biergarten. But tonight they were out of what both BB and I wanted. I had wanted a simple reuben sandwich. They were out of the meat. ??? Then I ordered something that was 'beyond meat.' I didn't realize that meant it was NOT meat. BB caught that and I ended up with a brat. Still good food. Load board US - 359 IA - 123 MN - 9 WI - 14 When we left Winnemucca I was 50 miles range short of my drop. By the time I got to the hotel I had 50 miles range extra. I should be OK of fuel. Nothing new on the CA load board, didn't hear anything from the bus dispatcher. Only saw one RV that looked like a transporter, but no plate and no placards. ... the trip continues HERE |
|||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||
